ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PROFILING OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ISOLATED FROM URINE SAMPLES AT EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, NIGERIA

Abstract

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) due to Escherichia coli persist as a global health concern; this study focused on analysing the antibiotic resistance patterns of E.coli isolates from 150 urine samples collected from patients at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Identification of E. coli was carried out using standard microbiological and biochemical techniques, while antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 15 antibiotics was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The results showed the highest resistance to ampicillin with the lowest inhibition zone (8.2 ± 1.0 mm; 86.7 %;), nalidixic acid (12.3± 1.0 mm; 83.3 %) and Augmentin (12.1±1.0 mm; 76 %) showed high resistance, moderate resistance to ciprofloxacin (16.5 ± 2.7 mm; 26.7 %) and ceftriaxone (16.7 ± 2.9 mm; 39.3 %;). The highest sensitivity with the largest inhibition zone was recorded with nitrofurantoin (26.2±2 mm; 86.7%), imipenem (26.6 ± 3.5 mm; 86 %), and meropenem (25.2 ± 3.2 mm; 77.3 %). Overall, 39.3 % of E. coli isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR), 22 % were extensively drug resistant, and 20.7 % were pan-drug resistant. These findings indicate a high level of antimicrobial resistance among urinary E.coli isolates.